Magical Girl: Children of Fate
by Eternal Hawk
Summary: In the dead of the night, Fate Testarossa and Yuuno Scrya encounter a mysterious young boy, a boy that will change the course of their lives forever. Rated M.
1. A Brush With Destiny

Magical Girl: Children of Fate

DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit fanfic written jointly by LSSJ2 Gohan and The King of Soda. We make no claim to ownership over the respective franchises of _Dragon Ball_/_Dragon Ball Z_/_Dragon Ball GT_, all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama, and _Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha_, _A's_, _StrikerS_, _Force_, and _Vivid_, all owned by Seven Arcs, Geneon Entertainment, and Masaki Tzusuki.

CHAPTER 1: A Brush With Destiny

The forest was dark, dimly lit in a withering haze under the pale moonlight, with no sign of life anywhere. Little did anyone know this was the night that would change the destinies of millions of people. With a rustling sound, through the bushes and the shrubs emerged a young girl, no older than nine, dressed in the most peculiar of ways. She wore a black attire which resembled a swimsuit with an attached pink skirt and a number of maroon belts. She also wore a pair of gloves, thick ribbons which held her golden hair in pigtails, and laced shoes worn over long stockings, as well as a dark cape covering her shoulders. In the palm of one of her hands she held a black device that appeared like a small long-bearded axe. In the other hand, she held a small blue gem.

Trailing behind her was a scantily clad orange-haired young woman with some canine characteristics such as fox ears, a furry tail emerging from her lower back, and small fangs. She seemed anxious, tense and nervous, like she was scared that someone or _something_ would swoop down from the skies and get her.

"Let's get out of here," she said in a low murmur.

"Wait, I need to check and see if this is genuine," the young girl said. "Mother will be very... _displeased_ if we don't return with one."

"Alright, but hurry up!" the seemingly older girl said with a sigh.

With a nod, the younger girl grasped the gem tightly, focusing on it. Soon, it began to glow intensely, warm to the touch in her hand.

"T-That's it!" the feral-looking girl gasped. "It's a Jewel Seed!"

"All right. Are you ready, Bardiche?" the golden-haired girl asked her device.

「Yes, sir. Entering Sealing Mode,」 the artifact replied with a mechanical male voice as it began to change. Its axe head flipped up 180 degrees and extended away from the handle, releasing three wings of energy from below the base, looking like a spear.

"Jewel Seed Serial III! Seal it!" the scarlet-eyed girl commanded, pointing her device at the glowing gem in front of her.

「Sealing,」 the device obliged, tendrils of golden energy emanating from it to encase the shining jewel in front of them. Within minutes, its blue glow became gold as the tendrils of energy enveloped it until the glow subsided completely, signaling to all in the clearing that the Jewel Seed had been successfully sealed.

The small girl gave a soft sigh in relief.

"Thank you, Bardiche."

「You're welcome, sir,」 the device answered.

The girl turned to the wild-looking woman and nodded.

"Okay, now we can go," she told her companion.

"Finally!" the older girl exclaimed.

Before they could do anything more, however, a soft sound grabbed their attention. Both girls jumped and jerked around instantly, turning their heads left to right, obviously looking for the source of the noise.

"What was that?" the golden-haired girl proclaimed nervously. "It... it couldn't be... _them_... could it?"

The feral girl raised her arms and bared her teeth, seemingly very animalistic.

"If it's a fight they want, it's a fight I'll give them!" she said, her voice very unconvincingly trying to mask the terror she felt.

"No, wait..." the younger girl said, holding out a hand. "It... sounded like a voice."

A moment later, the sound came again, and this time, though it was low and barely discernible, they could make out just what it was.

"That sounded like a moan," the orange-haired woman said in confusion.

"It came from over there," the ruby-eyed girl said, pointing.

Before the woman had even turned around to face the general direction she was pointing in, the small girl took off, obviously intent on investigating whatever or whoever had made the sound herself.

"Wait, Fate, don't go!" she yelled. "It could be dangerous!"

But the younger girl, apparently known as Fate, was obviously too engrossed in the mystery to pay her any heed. Mumbling rebelliously under her breath, the older woman followed the girl named Fate. At the same time, Fate had reached the end of her run and found a bunch of trees and bushes blocking her way. Acting on sudden impulse, she pushed through the bushes and poked her head between the two thick tree trunks to discover…

"Oh!" she gasped. "Oh, Arf!"

"What the —?! Fate! What's going on?!" the feral woman, who Fate had identified as Arf, replied, rushing in Fate's direction, before turning to look at what had her so horrified. The sight made her blood freeze.

Right in front of both girls laid a boy, apparently no older than Fate herself. He looked like he'd been sent through hell and back. He was dressed in what remained of purple-colored martial arts attire, with multiple holes and tears in the fabric, the top being practically blown away entirely save by a few threads that stubbornly clung to his left shoulder. His right arm hung outward at an unnatural angle, blood pooling from multiple gashes and cuts along the muscled bicep, and the boy's messy black hair was stained red from all the blood on it.

"Who...? What...? When...?" Arf was barely able to form a coherent sentence at the sight. She'd seen many dead or wounded animals during her time on Mid-Childa before Fate had found her, but she'd never thought to see a human in such a state, particularly such a young child.

"It's a boy," Fate observed softly, kneeling next to the broken youth. Her gloved hands slowly moved to touch the young boy. Upon making contact with the boy's skin in a delicate, ghost-like caress, he suddenly tensed up, eliciting a pained moan. Fate's hand recoiled at the sound.

"What happened to him? It looks like the kid's been blasted with a full-on bombardment spell," Arf commented.

"He's in pain..." Fate stated, clenching her hands tightly.

The sharp snap of a twig breaking caused Arf to jump quite high and frantically swivel her head in search of the noise. After several seconds of looking, she concluded it was probably a stray pet and that no one was near them, but that could change at any minute.

"Fate, we've got to go!" Arf said urgently.

Fate looked up, shocked at Arf's words. How could she expect her to leave this strange boy all alone? He might not be found for days!

"What about him?" Fate asked, gesturing to the boy lying on the ground.

"Leave him!" Arf said quickly.

"I can't!" Fate said defiantly. She turned to look back at the boy. "He's really hurt... we're the only ones who knows he's here!"

"Well, what CAN we do?" Arf demanded, crossing her arms and leveling a skeptical look at the determined girl. "We can't take him with us, and you know we can't bring him to the authorities because they'd ask too many questions. What else do you propose we do?"

"I-I don't know..." Fate said. "But we can't just leave him here to die. I-It'd be like we were killing him ourselves."

"Fate, nature is tough," Arf said gently. "You can't always save every bird that falls out of a tree. To try is foolhardy."

"I know, but I still want to try," she said softly, placing Bardiche aside and focusing mana into her hands.

"Fate, what are you —?"

"Physical Heal," the girl chanted softly, placing her hands directly on the boy's back and focusing her mana into healing him. She had never performed the spell before now — in fact, she could just barely grasp how the spell actually worked! However, seeing the boy in such a state had tugged at her heartstrings, and she decided to risk it all in a vain effort to help him.

Arf blinked as she saw the girl perform the spell.

"I had no idea you knew healing magic," the feral woman said.

"I'm not very sure how to properly perform it, to be honest," Fate said, worried. "But I have to try, otherwise he's not going to make it."

Arf could only watch, strongly reminded of the reason she followed Fate. Fate just couldn't ignore someone in pain. It had been the same when they had first met, and after helping her and giving her a new purpose to live, Arf had vowed to faithfully remain at Fate's side until the day she died. Now she was seeing the burgundy-eyed girl perform a similar deed for a boy she had just met. She was truly remarkable.

_If only her mother would see her for the wonderful person she is..._ Arf thought bitterly.

The boy was suffused in a soft white glow, but when it faded, he looked considerably better. The blood had vanished and the cuts along his arms and face had disappeared too, yet he still had many bruises and scrapes, and while his arm had quit bleeding, it was still bent at a slightly awkward angle.

Before Fate or Arf could comment on any of this, however, Fate pitched forward, almost falling on the boy herself as the world spun in her vision and her head swam with an overwhelming mosaic of sight and sounds and voices.

"Fate! Fate!" Arf cried. "Are you okay?"

Fate blinked once, then twice, and the world came back into focus, but she felt... extraordinarily weak, drained to the point of exhaustion.

"I-I think I'm okay," she said. "I feel so weird, though. Like my body's got nothing left in it."

"I knew it," Arf replied. "You must have depleted all your mana reserves. Your body wasn't used to this spell or performing it at this level yet, and in order to compensate, you subconsciously drew on your entire supply to make your intentions a reality. It's a miracle it didn't kill you. That was very reckless, Fate. You could have died!"

Fate was shocked.

"W-What?" she exclaimed, eyes wide. "Y-You mean... I've lost my magic?"

Arf nodded gravely.

"But that's not good!" Fate exclaimed. "If Mother learns of this, she... she won't be happy..."

But before Arf could speak, the boy moaned again, and his eyes slid open. He immediately shot upright, but Fate, still concerned about the boy, laid a warm, gentle hand on his right arm, and the boy blinked. With a confused expression, the boy glanced over and saw a girl with long, flowing golden pigtails, and a weird, seemingly human woman with animalistic features.

"W-Who are you?" the boy asked weakly. "Where am I? Am I... dead?"

Fate just looked into his eyes. She was struck by how honest and clean they looked, as if there was some inner light to them that made them shine brighter than other people's eyes. Yet they also seemed somehow... troubled, as if the boy had gone through something that was incredibly painful to him and still hung on his soul, like chains.

"No," Fate said. "You are still alive."

"But then... what happened?" he asked desperately. "Where are all the others? And..." His face darkened as he finished. "Where's Cell?"

"Listen, boy, I think you're a little confused," the orange-haired woman explained to him. She smirked in a superior way. "When we found you, you were in a terrible condition. Fate saved your life."

"Y-You did? Really? W-Why would you do something like that for me?" he asked in disbelief.

"I had to do it. You might have died if I didn't. And you were in such pain..." Fate trailed off, noticing how Gohan winced as he attempted to move. "And you still are... I'm sorry. I wasn't able to completely heal you, I... I am not very good with healing spells. I am sorry..." she said apologetically, with the faintest traces of unshed tears in her eyes.

"Oh, that's okay. I-I guess you saved my life. Thank you," the boy said, before a realization hit him. He looked around and noticed that he seemed to be in some kind of a forest. "But... where am I? Am I still on Earth?"

"Well, I think that's how the locals call this world. So yeah. You are on Earth," Arf answered.

"Then how did I get here...?" the boy wondered.

"I hate to break up this tender moment, but we need to be getting back home, Fate. There's a bowl of ramen waiting there with my name on it!" the young woman suddenly exclaimed, eyes shining over with excitement at the idea of her favorite dish.

"Yes, Arf is right. We really have to leave. But, before we go... please, tell me your name," Fate said, her tone slightly hesitant.

"Oh... well, I'm Son Gohan. And your name is Fate, right?"

"Yes. I am Fate Testarossa."

"That's an unusual name, but I like it. It fits you," Gohan told her, managing a weak smile, which Fate returned shyly.

"Take care of yourself, Gohan," The girl told him, standing up and turning to leave with Arf.

Gohan had no intention of saying what he did next. It was something... deep down, inside his heart, that wanted to put what he felt into words, and he just knew he couldn't let this girl leave him forever. What if he never saw her again? For some reason, that was very painful to him, and he knew he never wanted that to happen.

"Wait!" the raven-haired boy called out to them.

Both mage and familiar turned back to look at him, expressions of curiosity on their faces.

"C-Can I come with you?" the onyx-eyed boy asked hesitantly.

Fate felt so much in that one instant. Hope, that there truly was somebody out there who actually wanted to be around her. Sadness, because they were destined to never be together. Finally, crushing disappointment, because as much as she wanted friends and someone to care for her in her life again, their mission took high importance. Her mother came first, even over potential friends.

"W-We _can't_. I'm sorry..." the girl replied sadly, attempting to put so much into those few simple words, trying to explain the exact reasons she couldn't bring him along with her, that her mother would be mad, how very badly she wanted it not to be her choice, wondering whether he would get mad and hold it against her.

"O-Oh..." the boy muttered, his head dropping sadly.

"Hate to tell you this, kid, but you heard her. We have important business here, and we'll be leaving after it's done. So good luck to you and have a good life!" Arf told him hurriedly, hurrying Fate to leave.

"It's okay. I understand," Gohan told her, even though in his heart he really couldn't. "Goodbye. I-I hope we can meet again!"

And Gohan watched the duo leave until they were out of sight.

_Why does it make me so sad if I never see her again?_ Gohan wondered. _There was just something about her... something special_,_ yet something buried too._ Gohan had a realization. _It's those eyes. They're buried with emotion_,_ emotion that she's repressing. But why would she do that?_ Gohan thought of something. _Maybe... maybe she's a broken soul._

Gohan looked up into the night sky.

_Like me..._

And then, recent events came to mind... Cell, watching Goku fight him, being called up to battle next, Sixteen's death, ascending into a new, uncontrolled level of Super Saiyan, hitting Cell so hard that he actually vomited Seventeen and Eighteen, and Goku, his daddy...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Gohan cried, flaring his aura in agony and dropping to the forest floor. "DADDY!"

And then the tears began flowing, a barrage of intense emotions flooding the broken, emotionally damaged child.

"It's all my fault!" Gohan raged. "It's all my fault... Daddy!"

And for an immeasurable amount of time, Gohan just knelt there, crouched over the soft pine-needle strewn forest floor, awash in a sea of his own emotions. So much coursed through him in that moment: Pain, regret, sadness, grief, and most of all, an overwhelming sense of shame, deep personal guilt that would haunt him forever, till the day he died.

"No, I can't just keep kicking myself," Gohan said. "I have to make sure Cell is dead." He looked down at his injured arm. "But first, I have to tend to this."

Moving up into a sitting position, the boy managed to rip what remained of his gi top and, with the assistance of some sticks and twigs he found lying around, used it to create a sling by which to hang his broken arm, after painfully popping the damaged limb back in its place. Working his way onto his feet and drying his tears with the back of his good hand, Gohan closed his eyes and stretched out with his ki senses to try and track the location of the others. What he found surprised him so much that his eyes shot open in shocked astonishment.

"Cell's ki signal may be gone, but so are all the others!" Gohan thought wildly. "What in the world is going on? Arf-san said I was on Earth, but I can't feel any significant power levels anywhere on the planet!"

A new thought entered his mind, and he paused in confusion.

"Forget the Earth! I can destroy the entire solar system with my ki now!" Cell had said.

"Is it possible... I'm not on the same Earth anymore? The force of our last two Kamehamehas... both clashing together with the force of a supernova each..." Gohan said, remembering the overwhelming power both he and Cell had accessed, as well as the physics book he'd read throughout his childhood about the force required to open holes in the time-space fabric.

"Is it possible our blasts tore open the gap between realities and sent me into another dimension?" he wondered out loud.

_If that were so_,_ that would mean I'm stuck here!_ Gohan thought.

Before he could ponder this thought much, he heard a voice screaming in pain somewhere in the general area around him.

"W-What was that?" the boy wondered out loud, walking towards the area he'd heard the cry originate from.

He was suddenly startled when the image of an amorphous beast leaped forth, landing centimeters away from him before lunging in the opposite direction. Looking farther, Gohan's eyes went wide when he saw the beast's target: a boy, no older than he was, with soft features, determined green eyes, and shoulder-length blonde hair. He wore a green and cream tunic over a pair of tan shorts, a dark brown T-shirt, a tan cape, brown armbands, cut-off gloves, and tan boots.

As the creature flew in the boy's direction, the boy pulled a small, glowing red pearl from a pouch at his side. Extending his hand at the monster, the pearl began glowing red and a large green circle with runes around it formed in front of him.

"Ancient resonance, turn into light! Put the unforgiven inside the ring of sealing! Jewel Seed, sealing!" the blonde-haired boy chanted, pointing the small gem at the beast. As the creature clashed against the energy ring, it was seemingly sucked into it like a vacuum. The monster howled and shrieked, struggling against the sealing spell the boy was emanating.

An explosion suddenly sent the blonde boy flying away, crashing against a tree as the beast, now freed from the spell and apparently injured, as the drops of blood falling to the ground beneath it showed, backed up slightly before charging at the fallen boy again. Gohan let out an involuntary gasp at the image. The other boy was weak, and it looked like the monster was actually going to try and finish him off.

_I can't let that happen!_ Gohan thought.

With a fierce war cry, Gohan summoned what little remained of his strength and charged headfirst at the creature. As he did so, his body was engulfed in a blazing golden aura, his hair acquiring that very same color as his eyes became a deadly teal.

With his only good arm, Gohan struck the beast, landing a solid chop across the base of its neck, sending it flying with a startled shriek.

Seeing this, the injured blonde boy looked up in shock.

"A-Another mage, here...? No, it... must be... something else..." he whispered weakly, struggling to get to his feet, using the tree behind him as support. He managed to rise into a crouching position, knees trembling as he gazed at the battle taking place.

As the monster got up, Gohan assumed a fighting stance as best he could in his weakened state, preparing himself to fight the beast some more. However, rather than turning back to attack him, the creature simply crawled pathetically out of the area. Once he was sure the beast wouldn't reappear and attack him or the other boy besides him, Gohan allowed himself to relax, his aura fading as his hair and eyes returned to their characteristic charcoal hue.

Then it hit him.

Barely suppressing a cry of pain, Gohan dropped to his knees as a wave of agony washed across his whole body. The Super Saiyan form had always put a huge strain on his body. Even after he managed to fully master it, he still had never quite erased its effects. Now, having transformed after having suffered so many injuries which had been barely patched up, not quite healed, less than an hour ago, the strain took its toll on the boy, effectively reopening all of his wounds.

"A-Are you okay?" he heard the boy ask behind him.

"Yeah, don't worry," Gohan replied, slowly standing up to face him. With obvious trouble, both slowly made their way to one another.

"You're injured," the blonde said, extending a hand to him.

"S-So are you," Gohan replied weakly.

"It got... away," the blonde boy mumbled.

"Huh? You mean that creature?" Gohan said. As he spoke, he could feel the pain start to numb his mind. From the looks of it, he wouldn't be able to remain conscious for too long, and from the glassy look in the other boy's eyes, he was fighting a similar collapse.

"Y-Yes, I must... get... it..." the boy whispered, before his strength failed him and he pitched forward. Gohan tried to catch him as he fell, but his own injuries caught up with him, and he could only grasp the boy's falling form as he collapsed right on top of him, taking him to the ground as well. Not that he minded... he wanted so badly to just lose consciousness right now and sleep forever...

"Hey! Y-You're..."

"S-Sorry... too w-weak..." the boy whispered, trying to pry off Gohan, but finding it harder and harder to move.

"I-It's okay..." Gohan replied awkwardly. "I-I'm Son Gohan, by the way," Gohan managed to say weakly.

"Yuuno... Scrya..." he heard the boy mutter.

As he began losing consciousness, Yuuno was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt. That beast was still on the loose. It could hurt more people. Worse, that beast was born out of the Jewel Seeds he'd unearthed during one of his digs!

It was all his fault and he alone had to take responsibility for his actions. However, here he laid, beaten and barely alive, with merely the faintest traces of mana left in his body and with an equally injured boy beneath him. That the pearl-shaped device wasn't compatible with him didn't help much either. It was then he realized, he couldn't do it on his own. Yuuno hated himself for admitting it, but he required help! If he refused to accept this inevitable fact not only would he and the mysterious boy he had just met today die, but the Jewel Seeds would kill the billions inhabiting this lonely, unadministered planet!

— _Someone_,_ hear my voice_, — he said, reaching out with what little mana he had left to make a telepathic message that, he hoped, would be received by someone with enough magical potential. — _Help me. Someone_,_ please... lend me your powers... I... I need... magical... powers..._ — He finished, before his body gave up on him and he finally lost all consciousness. Almost instinctively, his body managed to use leftovers from the mana he used in emitting the message to transform his body.

To Gohan's surprise, the boy shrank in size, changing shape until he was reduced to the form of a small ferret.

"H-He transformed...?" The boy thought in shock, as his consciousness too gave up, falling into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

The whip snapped across her bare back, leaving a nasty black and blue welt and adding to the collection already there.

"What?!" the voice of a loud, angry woman roared. "What do you mean you depleted all your mana reserves?! And how come you only found ONE Jewel Seed?! Your mission was to collect ALL of them!"

Fate winced and let out an involuntary scream of pain as the whip slashed across her back once more.

"Aah!" she whimpered. "I'm... argh!" — another whimper as the whip hit her — "I-I'm so sorry, Mother. I didn't... mean for it to happen!"

Suddenly, the flogging momentarily abated. The older woman held it tightly in her clenched grip.

"And how, pray tell, did you accomplish this gross act of negligence?" the woman asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I-I..." Fate began, her voice a faint whisper from the pain. "T-There was a boy... I found a boy injured in the woods nearby and — ah!"

Her explanation was cut short as yet another strike from her mother's whip assaulted her already beaten back.

"That was it?!" The woman demanded furiously. Soon, more lashes echoed in the room, followed by the girl's anguished cries of pain. "You abandoned your mission, risked our objectives, all we've worked for, to help a mere child you found?!"

"H-He was — ah! — b-badly injured... ach! I... I needed to — kyah! H-help him or... h-he could have d-d-died! Aaaaargh!"

"I don't have time for your pathetic excuses!" the girl's mother snapped, hitting her repeatedly with her whip. "You... you are selfish... You were just thinking of yourself. I see I still have to discipline you proper, Fate," the woman growled darkly.

"P-Please, M-M-Mother... stop," she pleaded softly, feeling tears fall from her eyes.

Rather than the desired effect, her words seem to anger her even more.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" She hissed, again lashing her viciously, this time with enough force to rip her flesh open. Red blood emanated from her wounds, running down her back in dark swaths.

As the horrendous torture continued, outside the room, Arf sat with her knees huddled up into a fetal position as she covered her foxy ears with her human hands, trying to block out the sounds of her master's cries of pain.

"Stop it, please, just stop it... she hasn't done anything wrong... please...!" the wolf-woman whimpered, tears of rage and impotence trailing down her cheeks. "She doesn't deserve this...! Stop it...!"

After what seemed like an eternity, the dark-haired woman finally undid the restraints, letting the golden-haired girl, almost unconscious from the pain, fall with a resounding thud. She looked so helpless on the floor. Her legs instinctively curled up into her torso as Fate locked herself into the same fetal position that Arf had been in a while ago.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Fate. Fail me again, and the consequences will be... unpleasant."

"Yes, Mother..." the girl whispered, her voice barely audible.

As her mother exited the room, the doors slammed open and Arf rushed inside, tears falling from her eyes as she cradled her master tenderly, trying not to touch her wounds as to avoid more unnecessary pain. As the wolf-woman sobbed, carrying the beaten Fate out of the room, the girl couldn't help but think back... think back to those memories, stored deep within her mind, of a time when her mother wasn't the cold, cruel woman that had just tortured her so much, but a kind, sweet woman tending to her daughter's every needs. She craved to see that smile once again, and this doubled her determination to acquire the Jewel Seeds as fast as she could.

However, in another, dark corner of her mind... she found herself longing for something else... a pair of mysterious charcoal eyes, filled with innocence, the eyes of the boy that she'd risked her mission to save...

* * *

Hello. King here. Well, here it is. Our first attempt at a joint MGLN crossover. I'd like to thank everybody for all the positive reviews thus far. To be honest, we were expecting to be flamed. The fandom is a little extreme in its devotion. Well, anyway, I figured you all might be interested in knowing the power levels as I currently envision them.

Gohan (weakened): 250,000  
Gohan (partially healed by Fate): 430,000  
Gohan (Super Saiyan burst): 21,500,000  
Gohan (drained even more): 85,000

Yuuno: 140,000  
Yuuno (drained): 12,000  
Yuuno (ferret): 000.001

Fate: 1,430,000  
Fate (mana depleted): 220,000

Arf: 580,000

Subject to revision depending on my co-author, LSSJ2 Gohan, although Fate's power level is currently canon. A warning: Flames and outright Yuuno-bashing will result in the user being both blocked _and_ receiving a severe flaming of their own. This is not negotiable and it is something we BOTH agree on. You have been warned.

The King of Soda


	2. A Fateful Encounter! Her Name Is Nanoha!

Magical Girl: Children of Fate

DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit fanfic written jointly by LSSJ2 Gohan and The King of Soda. We make no claim to ownership over the respective franchises of _Dragon Ball_/_Dragon Ball Z_/_Dragon Ball GT_, all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama, and _Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha_, _A's_, _StrikerS_, _Force_, and _Vivid_, all owned by Seven Arcs, Geneon Entertainment, and Masaki Tzusuki.

CHAPTER 2: A Fateful Encounter! Her Name Is Nanoha!

Through the streets of Uminari City walked three girls, all wearing identical outfits, a simple white dress with black patches, long, green stockings, and brown shoes. The first had reddish-orange hair, blue eyes, and possessed a cheerful, sprightly demeanor. This was Nanoha Takamachi. The second girl had long blonde hair, teal-emerald eyes, and a fierce, powerful personality. Her name was Arisa Bannings. And the third child had flowing violet hair, sapphire eyes, and seemed to have a cool, relaxed attitude. This girl was more commonly known as Suzuka Tsukimura, and the three students were close-knit friends.

"Something I can do," Nanoha muttered under her breath. "Something only I can do."

This vexing quandary had been on her mind for some time. Lately, around others, even her close friends and family, Nanoha had begun to feel like a third wheel, out of touch with all the people in her life. Different. Isolated and alone. Trapped. There had to be some special purpose for her, a way to make her feel like she belonged again.

"Hey, wasn't Suzuka-chan amazing in dodge ball today?" Arisa commented as the three walked by a park.

"Yeah, she was awesome," Nanoha agreed, tuning back in to the girls' conversation.

"Oh, come on, guys," the purple-headed girl said, embarrassment written plainly across her face. "I wasn't that good."

They passed a strolling woman and her dog, which swung around and started barking at them.

"Hey!" the woman scolded. "Stop it!"

Arisa turned on the dog, greatly irritated by all the barking the annoying mutt was doing.

"URUSAI!" she yelled.

As the girls continued their travels, Arisa ran out ahead of them and looked down a path winding through the forest itself.

"Hey, over here, guys," she told them. "We can take the shortcut through the woods, and we'll be there in no time."

Suzuka looked up the path, clearly afraid of what possibly awaited them in there. Thoughts of serial killers and rapists went through her mind, and suddenly she wasn't sure that this was such a good idea.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked Arisa uncertainly.

"Hmm..." Arisa said, thinking. "Yeah, the path's rough, but we'll be fine."

So, with a little reluctance, the girls entered the path, intent on following Arisa's advice and taking the short way home. As the three made their way through the surrounding bushes and trees, Nanoha came to a very clear conclusion. The sights, the sounds, and general feel of the forest were very familiar to her, and the redhead finally recognized where she had seen it before.

_This is the place I saw in my dream last night_, she thought.

She could remember the dream clearly. A blonde-haired boy had tracked a monster to this exact place. The monster had overpowered him, but just when it looked like the boy was doomed, another boy, this one with raven-black hair and steely, determined eyes burst onto the scene, his hair flashing gold as he saved the boy from the beast.

"Is something wrong?" Suzuka asked, breaking in on her thoughts.

It was then that Nanoha realized she had stopped walking.

"Nanoha-chan?" Arisa prompted.

"A-Ah, no!" Nanoha insisted, walking forward to rejoin her friends. "It's nothing." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Are you alright?" the violet-haired girl asked, still concerned for her friend's strange behavior.

"Yeah," Nanoha said, deciding not to tell them about the dream for the time being. They would just think she was crazy.

"Okay, then," the strawberry-blonde said, holding her arm out. "Let's go."

As her friends headed out, Nanoha looked to the side, still thinking about the dream and the two boys in it.

"How strange..." she whispered.

"Nanoha!" Suzuka called.

"Oh, yeah!" Nanoha said, remembering where she was and speeding ahead to join her friends.

As they walked down the path, suddenly, a burst of... something entered Nanoha's mind. She couldn't really explain what it was, only that it just popped into her head out of nowhere, causing a strange sensation to flood her entire body. She came to a complete halt as a voice spoke in her head, and through that weird feeling, she finally grasped what it was saying.

— _Help me..._ — it begged.

Her friends noticed that she had stopped and pivoted to face her.

"Nanoha-chan?" Arisa asked, curious why she'd stopped again.

"Did you guys hear something just now?" Nanoha asked hesitantly.

"Um, like what?" the other blue-eyed girl replied.

"Like someone's voice?" Nanoha elaborated, feeling stupid even as she said it, yet in her heart she knew it to be true.

Arisa and Suzuka looked at each other. From the expression on Suzuka's face, it was apparent she was worried about her friend, but Arisa seemed to think Nanoha was playing a really unfunny joke on them.

"Not really," the blonde-headed girl said.

"I don't think I heard anything," Suzuka said slowly.

— _Help me!_ — the voice cried, stronger this time.

Suddenly forgetting that she had company, Nanoha took off running, trying to find the voice that seemed to call only for her. She didn't know if the voice was real or if her young mind had snapped. All she knew was that she needed to find the source of that voice. Maybe it was the call she had been waiting for? She wasn't sure, but she sure wanted to find out.

"Nanoha!" her friend Arisa called out, running after her.

"Nanoha-chan, wait!" the purple-haired girl exclaimed, she too running after Nanoha.

"I think that the voice came from over here," the auburn-haired girl whispered to herself, following the voice's echo.

Nanoha exited the thick of the trees and entered a small clearing. Once in the clearing, she looked around, trying to locate any source of the voice. It was then that she caught glimpse of a figure lying down on the grass. Upon closer inspection, she gasped in horror at what she saw.

"Oh my goodness! Arisa-chan! Suzuka-chan!" Nanoha suddenly cried out, calling to her approaching friends.

"What's wrong, Nanoha? Why did you run away like that?" Arisa asked, suddenly worried by Nanoha's change of mood.

"Take a look over there!" she replied, pointing at what she had found. "It's a boy..."

"A boy?!" Arisa exclaimed, the gears in her head already switching to fight or flight mode. "I swear, if it's some sort of creep I'm gonna..."

Her threat suddenly died in her throat as she discovered the source of Nanoha's horror.

A young boy, apparently no older than they all were, lay shirtless on the grass. He had one arm wrapped up in a makeshift sling, the rest of his body looking worse for wear, with many scrapes and cuts all along the exposed areas.

A few seconds later, Suzuka successfully caught up with her two friends. Upon discovering the boy's broken state, her eyes opened like saucers, letting out a gasp as she promptly fainted. Arisa was able to catch their friend as she fell so she wouldn't hit her head.

"Suzuka-chan!" Nanoha exclaimed in worry.

"Oh great, just what we needed! Wake up, Suzuka-chan! We can't drag the both of you to the hospital!" the fiery blonde girl cried out in exasperation, moving to try and reanimate their unconscious friend.

As Arisa was busy waking up their shy friend, Nanoha carefully approached the wounded boy.

"He seems familiar somehow..." she whispered, taking in his facial features, before a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"This is the boy from my dream!" she whispered in shock, recognizing the boy's face. "Except... his hair isn't gold."

And it was true. The boy's hair, which had been golden yellow and glowing very brightly in her dream, was now a simple black. But what did all this mean? Was it possible that the events in her dream were real?

"Something wrong, Nanoha-chan? Why are you whispering?" Arisa asked her, holding the now conscious Suzuka as she approached their friend and steadying her with a comforting hand over her shoulder.

"Oh, nothing! H-Hey, Suzuka-chan... are you alright?"

"Oh yes, nothing serious. Just a bump on the head," the purple-haired girl replied sheepishly.

"Well, we'd better get this boy to the hospital. He looks like he's in pretty bad shape," Nanoha replied, moving to grab hold of the boy and carry out her stated intentions before something else caught her eye.

"H-Huh? Oh goodness, girls, look!" Nanoha called, making the girls rush to see what Nanoha was staring at.

"Is that...?" Arisa began.

"A ferret?" Suzuka finished for her. Noticing the small animal's bad condition, which was even worse than the boy's, she felt consciousness slip from her once more. That is, before she suddenly felt a vice grip across her shoulder.

"Don't. You. Dare!" Arisa growled at her, practically knocking the dizziness out of her.

"What do we do now?" Nanoha asked as she took the small animal in her arms.

"Simple. You take the boy to the hospital; I'm taking the ferret here to the vet," Arisa replied, taking the ferret from Nanoha's hands.

"Are you sure, Arisa-chan?"

"Positive. Besides, I better bring Suzuka-chan with me lest she faints again."

"I-I will not!" the azure-eyed girl replied.

"Just a precaution!" the strawberry-blonde replied simply.

"I..."

"That's fine, I guess," the pigtailed girl replied.

"Well, we'll get going now. You take care of him. Come on, Suzuka-chan."

"Bye, Nanoha-chan!" Suzuka said, following the other girl's path.

"See you later, girls!" Nanoha replied, before kneeling in front of the dark-haired boy and taking hold of his arm. She then proceeded to pull him up, getting him into a sitting position, and then wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

When she tried to get him to stand up, however, she found with surprise she could barely lift his weight.

"Moooou, you sure are heavy!" the girl commented, helping herself into a standing position with some assistance from a nearby tree and grabbing the boy's arm tightly, doing her best to avoid falling along with him.

Seemingly hearing her thoughts, the boy began to stir, groaning in obvious pain.

"Oh, you're awake!" Nanoha chirped, thankful.

"H-Huh? You... who are you?"

"I am Takamachi Nanoha. What's your name?"

"I... I'm Gohan... Son Gohan."

"Gohan...?" she whispered, almost as if pondering on it.

"That's a funny name!" she chirped, giggling softly.

"H-Hey!" he protested softly. "I-I was named after my dad's grandpa..."

"Sorry," Nanoha laughed. "It's just... your name means cooked rice."

"Dad named me after food?" Gohan repeated, shocked. "B-But I thought it was his grandpa's name!"

"Your grandpa had a funny name!" she chirped cheerfully. "Oh, but sorry if I insulted you," the girl added politely.

"I-It's okay... I guess..."

"So, um, you think you can walk on your own?" Nanoha asked him, prompting Gohan to notice the position they both were in, mainly, of Nanoha barely being able to carry him and struggling to breathe as she did so.

"I-I don't think I can... b-but, I'll try." The boy replied, trying to unwrap his arm from Nanoha's shoulders and balance himself. However, as soon as he attempted to find balance on his feet, a sudden wave of pain assaulted his senses, making him stagger.

"Oh, wait, don't overexert yourself," the girl said, carefully holding him and helping him stabilize himself.

"I... I'm sorry for the troubles," he whispered, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's no problem, Gohan-kun!" she told him with a friendly smile.

"So, um... where to now?" he asked her uncertainly.

"To the hospital. We need to get those wounds of yours treated," Nanoha replied matter-of-factly.

"O-Okay," the boy whispered awkwardly.

Slowly, taking their time, with Nanoha supporting him and Gohan hobbling along at a slow pace, the duo began the walk to the hospital, unaware of the events taking place at the same time a long distance away...

* * *

Pain... that was all she could feel at the moment. Pure, undiluted, excruciating pain, coursing through every fiber of her body like molten fire, threatening to consume her body from within in a blinding wave of burning agony. The sound of electricity was all around her, and her senses were being strained to the limit. It was pain beyond reason, pain beyond endurance, pain beyond imagining...

She was strapped in an X position, hands and legs tied down to two poles rising up on either side of her. Little wires connected to her bare skin to a straightjacket-like device wrapped tightly around her torso. Pumps and a long cable ran from the device into an ominous-looking machine with blinking lights and covered in dark edges and shapes. And in the exact center of the machine was a small glowing red jewel that shone luminously as the machine drew mana from it to run the device.

Finally, as the pain faded to bearable levels, Fate's screams died down, and the hum of the machine dropped to a low thrumming.

"That's enough!" Arf cried angrily. "Stop this! _Stop_ it!"

"The Relic is the only way to energize Fate's linker core back to its previous level, before her little... _incident_," Precia said coldly. "This is the only option we currently have. It will take months for her linker core to recover its mana on its own, and time is a precious luxury we do not have right now."

"Then quit for today!" Arf snapped heatedly. "She's done more than enough for you!"

"No. I regret doing this," Precia hissed, her tone making it quite evident that she didn't regret it at all, "but without it, all our plans will fall to pieces. She must continue with her mission. And besides, it's punishment for failing to retrieve all of the Jewel Seeds."

"That's it! I won't stand for this anymore!" Arf growled in anger. "This has got to stop!"

"N-No, Arf, d-don't... do it."

The soft plea made Arf stop cold in shock.

"W-What? B-But, Fate —!" Arf protested. "Look what she's doing to you...!"

"Arf... please... don't. I-I need to... do this," Fate gritted. "I-If it's important t-to my mother, t-then I'll d-d-do it."

Precia smirked. "That's a good girl," she said, before exiting the room.

As she left, the device beeped again, and soon, Fate's screams tore through the room once again.

Leaving for her personal chambers, Precia locked the doors behind her, so nobody would disturb her privacy. Slowly, she walked towards the middle of the chamber, where a pod laid. Inside it rested a little girl, a child who appeared exactly identical to Fate, only looking about half her age. The girl looked peacefully asleep, silently floating in the liquid that held her. Staring directly at her, Precia's expression notably softened, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes as she went up to Alicia's tank and placed her hand on it.

"Very soon, my little one, the both of us will be together again. I-I hope you can forgive me when you see me again," she whispered, her tone changing radically from the cold, cruel, and even sadistic sneer she put on in front of Fate and Arf, into a decidedly softer, desperate whimper as she let her barriers down. It was the very first time she seemed less of a monster, and more... human.

_There no time to lose. I have to bring my baby back_,_ at all costs..._ she thought to herself.

Her musings, however, were interrupted as a screen popped beside her, revealing a purple-haired man with golden eyes.

"Hello, dear. How are you doing?" a cheerful male voice greeted her.

"Scaglietti," Precia growled. "What do you want _now_?"

"My, my, aren't you upset tonight! Something wrong?" he wondered.

"That _doll_ wasted herself saving some random kid she found. Her medical skills are so pathetic that she actually drained her whole linker core," she spat, turning to face the eccentric man for the first time.

"Ohoho! That's sweet! It's her first crush!" Jail chuckled, sounding decidedly amused, before he suddenly realized something. "Oh, wait! Then I guess that this is the perfect chance for you to put my _gift_ to good use, eh?" he asked, curiosity evident in the man's voice.

"At least the Relic will prove useful," Precia said, rolling her eyes at Jail's antics.

"I still don't get why you don't just use the Relics instead of the Jewel Seeds. You do know, those can serve just as fine," he pointed out.

"Wrong!" she cut off abruptly. "Those Relics are simply magical batteries. The Jewel Seeds carry greater power, and together... they are the key to Al-Hazard!" she ranted vehemently, fire in her eyes.

"Oh, so you have yet to get them, huh?" he asked with a small note of surprise.

"As I said, that stupid doll drained herself of her magic, so I need to use the Relic to replenish it," Precia growled.

"Oh, then I guess it wasn't you then," Jail mentioned matter-of-factly, tapping his chin.

"What are you talking about?" Precia demanded, narrowing her eyes at what Jail had said.

"Oh well, you see, a few hours ago my scanners managed to gather some info on that world where the Jewel Seeds landed. And as it turns out, there was a major dimensional dislocation right there," the man explained simply.

"What?!"

"As you heard, honey! Someone just one-upped you and ripped through time and space! First I thought you finally made it, but then I discovered that it wasn't you! Seems we have a visitor from another dimension. Imagine that!" Jail said, amusement returning to his voice and expression as Precia's eyes widened in shock.

"An unauthorized dimensional transit...?" Precia whispered, her eye twitching. "Damn it! Just what I needed! If the Bureau wasn't alerted by the Jewel Seeds landing on that planet, they surely will be now!" she hollered angrily.

"Well, you know, honey, this new visitor might help you reach Al-Hazard faster," Jail chimed in, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hmm... that might be the case... but what could possibly be so powerful...?" Precia mused.

"Something from Ancient Belka, maybe?" the Doctor offered. "Whoever crossed dimensions has a very powerful device, you better know it!" Jail added, sounding enthusiastic. His golden-hued eyes sparkled with unrestrained glee.

"And you say it comes from the very same world the Jewel Seeds landed? Very well, I shall inform _it_ of this new development," Precia stated, her tone making it clear she wanted the conversation over.

"Do so! Oh, and tell Fate her dad said hi for me, dear! Catch you later!" Jail said brightly.

With those words, the screen closed off and Jail's face disappeared from Precia's sight.

_Jail Scaglietti... what are you planning now...?_ a corner of Precia's mind wondered as she took a final glance at Alicia and departed.

* * *

"Still the same old Precia, I see..." Jail mused as the connection cut off.

"Doctor?" a feminine voice asked right beside him.

"Ah, Uno, yes, please be a sweetheart and make sure to erase all traces of this conversation, please," the man asked, turning to look at the woman standing next to him, whose appearance was basically a gender-swapped version of the Doctor himself.

"As you wish, Doctor," the cyborg replied obediently.

While Uno activated her Inherent Skill, Jail simply smirked.

_I wonder... what will this new development mean?_

* * *

Gohan was seated in the hospital bed, covered in bandages and waiting for the doctor to come and see him. Nanoha was waiting by his side and he could tell that she had taken an interest in his well-being.

"Are you sure you feel okay, Gohan-kun?" she asked him.

Gohan actually smiled a little. _Who would've guessed I'd find someone who cares about me in this strange world?_

"I'm fine," he reassured. "Honestly, it looked worse than it was."

The door opened and the doctor, a dark-haired man with hollow cheeks and sharp features, entered, holding a clipboard. He looked at whatever was written on the sheet. Then, he glanced up and smiled.

"You gave us quite a scare, Gohan-san," Dr. Akubi said. "But you should heal just fine. The damage was mostly just superficial except for that arm of yours, but with a little time and rest, you should be back up to speed in a few weeks."

"Super!" Nanoha chirped. "Thank you very much, Doctor."

"It was no trouble," Dr. Akubi said. He turned back to face Gohan. "Now, do you know where you are will be staying, Gohan-san?"

Gohan blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"We ran your name as well as your parents' names through the hospital's database," the doctor explained to him. "There is no record of a Goku or a Chi-Chi ever coming to this hospital, or any other, to give birth to you. That isn't so unusual, since a lot of children are born at home, but then we ran you through the school system's computer, and we found you never attended a school in Japan. It's as though you dropped out of the sky, and it is very puzzling, to say the least. Care to explain?"

Gohan felt his heartbeat increase, and his palms got sweaty. He noticed Nanoha giving him a scrutinizing look and he felt very nervous. What could he tell this doctor? That he was from another dimension? Would he even believe him? He had to think of something fast.

"I was born at home," Gohan said slowly, improvising wildly. "But I never went to school, and my dad died when I was only five, and there was an accident recently that made living with my mom impossible."

These two statements were, technically, both true.

"I see," Dr. Akubi said, writing that down on his chart. "And how did you sustain those wounds?"

"A, um, a, a bear!" Gohan said. "A bear attacked me in the woods, and I barely got away from it!"

"Well, then, you're very lucky to still be alive, Gohan-san," Dr. Akubi said seriously.

"Oh wow!" Nanoha exclaimed. "That must've been scary!"

"I'd rather not think about that right now," Gohan said, hating to lie, but seeing no other choice.

"I see." The doctor turned to look at Nanoha. "We've notified your parents and they're on their way over. I believe they are bringing your brother and sister too. I take it you wanna stay with your friend here until they arrive?"

Nanoha glanced at Gohan and flashed him a cheerful smile. Gohan felt taken aback.

"Sure!" she said happily. "I'd love to stay with you, Gohan-kun!"

"Um... thank you, Takamachi-san," he said, blushing slightly.

"Oh, don't call me that, Gohan-kun! We're friends, so you can just call me Nanoha!" the girl chirped happily.

"O-Okay, Nanoha, and thank you again for helping me here," the boy said awkwardly, feeling his cheeks warm up.

"It's nothing, Gohan-kun! Anyone would've done the same!" she replied.

"Y-Yeah, I suppose."

Before either of the two could say anything, however, a sudden cry startled them.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU STUPID FERRET!"

As if on cue, a small ferret entered the room, quickly jumping onto Gohan's lap. It looked up once, managed to squeak happily, and then dropped unconscious while still in Gohan's lap, seemingly contented.

"H-Huh?" was all Gohan could say as he saw the ferret.

"Oh hey, Arisa-chan, Suzuka-chan!" Nanoha greeted the source of the voice: A very tired Arisa Bannings, with Suzuka right behind her.

"Where is... that stupid... ferret...?!" the girl wheezed, panting for breath.

"U-Um, you mean this ferret?" Gohan inquired, pointing at the small animal in his arms, which Gohan had picked up.

"Yes! That one! We... we've chased for him over half the city now!" the blonde said exasperatedly.

"Really? I thought the ferret was badly injured?" Nanoha inquired.

"Not really, t-the vet said it was nothing that serious," Suzuka replied, before Arisa turned on Gohan.

"Okay, I want some answers right now! Who are you and why were you and this ferret lying half dead in the middle of a forest?!" the fiery blonde demanded, moving to glare practically right in Gohan's face. And despite her being a normal human child, Gohan was nonetheless intimidated by her fierce temper, making him feel a bit more like he was at home.

_Man_,_ she sounds like mom!_ Gohan thought, while his mind tried to find an answer.

"I... I-I am Son Gohan, n-n-nice to meet you," the boy replied.

Arisa didn't look amused.

"Okay, seriously, _Gohan_? You're telling me _that_ is your actual name?" the girl deadpanned, crossing her arms across her petite chest.

"U-Um, yes," he replied timidly. Arisa didn't seem too convinced.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan-san! My name is Tsukimura Suzuka," the purple-haired girl behind them said, smiling shyly at the boy.

"U-Um, thanks, it's a pleasure to meet you too," the boy replied, looking away from Arisa's scrutinizing glare.

"Arisa-chan, leave him alone already. He's hurt badly and has nowhere else to go!" Nanoha shot up in defense of the intimidated boy.

"I'll keep my eyes on you, Gohan," Arisa said, giving the "I'm watching you" signal, consisting of pointing at her eyes, then pointing at him.

"You'll have to forgive Arisa-chan. She can be a little feisty."

"U-Um, it's okay, I guess..." the boy said, still finding the situation awkward.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The name's Bannings, Arisa Bannings, by the way," the girl added, finally stepping away from the hybrid's personal space and letting him be just in time to hear a knock from the door.

"Hello, can we pass?" The voice belonged to an adult in his thirties. Entering with him was a woman of long light brown hair, together with two dark-haired teenagers, a boy dressed and a girl wearing glasses and with her hair in a ponytail.

"Mom, Dad! Onii-chan, Miyuki-neechan!" Nanoha chirped happily, jumping to embrace her family.

"Hey, princess, how're you doing?" Shirou said, greeting his daughter with a hug.

"Hello, Nanoha-chan. Arisa-chan, Suzuka-chan, it's good to see you," Nanoha's mother said, addressing the girls.

"So, this is the kid you've talked about, Nanoha-chan?" the head of the Takamachi household asked, turning to look at Gohan.

"Yeah, his name is Gohan-kun!"

"Gohan?" Kyouya inquired curiously.

"Who names their son cooked rice?" Miyuki mused, hoping the others didn't hear her.

"I was thinking the exact same thing!" Arisa piped in, proving her wrong.

"B-But I was named after my dad's grandfather..." the boy muttered, looking down as a small blush tainted his cheeks.

"Well... it's certainly an interesting name!" Shirou chimed, trying to comfort the embarrassed boy.

"Oh, Gohan-kun, this is my family! That's my father, Shirou; my mother, Momoko, and these two are my Onii-chan and my Onee-chan, Kyouya and Miyuki!" Nanoha chirped, introducing him to her family.

"N-Nice to meet you all. I-I am Son Gohan," Gohan said embarrassedly.

"The pleasure's all ours, Gohan-san!" Shirou replied warmly.

"Oh dear, you don't look so well! What happened to you?" Momoko said worriedly, approaching Gohan and noticing his wounds.

"N-No, no, i-it's nothing, really!"

"Gohan-kun was attacked by a bear! He barely made it out alive!"

"N-Nanoha-san!"

"Oh my God!" Miyuki said, clasping her hands to her mouth.

"Wow, are you okay, man?" Kyouya asked. "You're lucky you're here."

"No, I-I'll be fine, I-I just need to find someplace to go," Gohan stammered. "Really, that's all!"

"Well, why don't you live with us till you find a place to stay?" Shirou then offered.

"Yeah! And we can play together all the time, Gohan-kun!" Nanoha added happily.

"Oh, I-I wouldn't wanna intrude..." Gohan stammered out timidly.

"Mouuu, come on, Gohan-kun! It'll be fun!" the youngest of the Takamachis insisted.

"Yes, and she does have a point, Gohan-san. The law will not allow you to live on your own, and you may end up with some foster family you don't care about. Dear, we're only trying to watch out for you," Momoko pointed out gently.

"Yeah, come on, you don't wanna disappoint Nanoha-chan now, do you?" Miyuki added teasingly.

"I... alright, b-but I promise I'll pay you for your troubles somehow!"

"You don't have to do that, little buddy, but, if you really insist on doing it, take your time, alright? Don't feel obliged to do it all at once," Kyouya reassured him, walking up to the hybrid and putting a warm hand on the boy's free shoulder.

"Thank you," Gohan said, liking the older boy immediately.

"Hey, I'll let you stay for free if you let me play with the little ferret there," Miyuki offered, pointing at the animal in Gohan's hands.

"Really? You mean... we can keep him too?" Nanoha asked her father hopefully.

"Well, that might be a problem, but I guess it should be fine, if you properly take care of him, that is," the man replied.

"I'll do it. It's the least I can do for your hospitality," Gohan said, bowing politely.

"Well, I'm already liking this boy," Momoko commented.

"Say, where is he supposed to sleep now? I have a spare futon for him, but we don't have any extra space," Kyouya pointed out.

"I know!" Nanoha giggled, suddenly getting a brilliant idea. "I want him to sleep in my room!"

"W-What...?!" Gohan spluttered, eyes wide as a blush covered his cheeks once again.

"Mou, come on, Gohan-kun! Why not?"

"You cannot be serious!" Arisa practically roared.

"A-Are you sure that's okay, Nanoha-chan?" Suzuka asked uncertainly.

"B-B-But I-I'm a boy! A-And you're a girl! It'd be _improper_," Gohan stammered, his cheeks growing redder every second.

"Exactly!" Arisa agreed. "What's gotten into you, Nanoha-chan?!" the strawberry-blonde demanded heatedly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nanoha asked innocently, making Arisa and Suzuka sigh and Gohan sweatdrop.

"Oh, Gohan... looks like you've got your work cut out for you," Kyouya commented, chuckling softly at his sister's antics.

"But... I..." the boy tried to argue.

"I don't have a problem with it," Shirou put forth.

"There's nothing wrong with two friends sleeping together in the same room, at least not while they're this young," Momoko pointed out.

"A-Alright, I guess..." Gohan offered after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Moouuu, thank you, Gohan-kun!" Nanoha said, embracing him tightly around his waist, making the boy blush.

"We'd better watch out, Kyouya-kun. We might be in-laws with that boy someday," Miyuki whispered to Kyouya's ear.

"No way!" Arisa cried out.

"Huh? W-What's that supposed to mean?" Gohan inquired timidly.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Miyuki replied, waving her hands at him.

Arisa, for her part, glared hotly at Gohan. Gohan winced.

"U-Um, is something w-wrong, Arisa-san?"

"If I hear word of you trying _anything_ with Nanoha, you better be ready, because there _will_ be consequences."

"Um, excuse me, but... what d-do you mean by that?" Gohan asked, blushing a deep crimson.

"Never mind!" Arisa shouted.

"Un, Arisa-chan...?"

"We're leaving, Suzuka!" Arisa cut in quickly, taking the purple-headed girl by the arm and dragging her out of the room.

"U-Um, bye, Nanoha-chan, Gohan-san, a-and Nanoha-chan's family!" Suzuka said hurriedly, quickly departing the room with Arisa.

Once they were all gone, Shirou turned to his family and said, "So, now that things have settled down a little, what do you say we all go talk to the staff and ask if we can bring Gohan-san home with us?"

"Thank you, Daddy!" Nanoha said happily. "That'd be perfect!"

She turned to look back at Gohan.

"Come on, silly!" she urged. "Let's get going!"

And she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed. Keeping one hand firmly latched to the little ferret by his side, Gohan couldn't help but wonder just what new kind of journey awaited him with Nanoha and her family at their home.

_One thing's for sure_, he thought amusedly as Nanoha pulled him, _it's going to be quite an adventure!_

And he followed her down the hall after her family.

* * *

Well, there it is. It took time, effort, and lots of hard thought, but now it's here! The new chapter of _Children of Fate_ is here!

I apologize for the delay here, end of college and other Real Life issues got in the way, but as we promised, it's here!

As King has said, Yuuno-hate will not be tolerated here. So keep your hate-o-rade deep where the sun doesn't shine, will you?

For the rest, welcome to this story. As a final question, would you like it if KoS posted his scale of mage ranks & power levels? He's been very excited about it, but the final answer is yours.

Well, with these words, we bid thee farewell.

Until we meet again!

LSSJ2 Gohan and KoS


End file.
